Ryan Avila
LDS missionary Mathew Knoop passed away Sunday after being struck from behind by a truck in Catu, Brazil.
Knoop was walking down the street with his LDS companion when he was struck from behind by a truck resulting in a broken arm, broken leg, and severed liver, causing him to be rushed to the hospital, said Rob Howell, a spokesman for the LDS Church.
Knoop passed away as a result of his injuries and his companion was left with minor injuries from the hit-and-run.
After spending one semester at Utah State University, Knoop was called to Salvador, Brazil for his mission and only had two months left before returning home.
Many USU students are grieving the loss of a friend and classmate by creating a group on Facebook.com called, "Pray for Matt Knoop." With nearly 600 members of the group, many friends share memories of their friend Matt Knoop.
“Matt was living his dream by serving his mission. He was an absolutely incredible man who touched the lives of so many while only being with us for such a short time,” said Jon Dalton, the creator of the "Pray for Matt Knoop" group.
Knoop grew up in Park City where he loved playing soccer. Mike Guetschow, former Park City soccer coach, called Elder Knoop an "absolutely special" soccer player. “Matt was the strongest leader on and off the soccer field,” said Tyler Thomas, a high school friend.
Scott Palmer, president of the Park City stake of the LDS Church, described Knoop as, "Just a good, well-rounded young man. Not too fanatical about any one thing. Great athlete, good student, but he loved the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Brazilian authorities are investigating the incident, said Palmer. Currently, there are no leads on the hit-and-run driver.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
good idea, it needs to be alot longer, maybe talk to more students that know him or find out more about what they are doing to grieve.
How did Dalton know Elder
Stoops? Were they friends, roommates, went to church together?
Post a Comment